


what's a buck?

by evaneddie



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: ANTI LEDDIE, ANTI LENA, ANTI RONDA ROUSEY, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, after tsunami hopes and dreams, but this is what i want to happen, kk that's all, not really prediction cuz let's face it the writers are mean, thanks and goodnight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-09 02:35:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20846132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evaneddie/pseuds/evaneddie
Summary: my buddie hopes and dreams set after the tsunami.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a three parter story that i am DETERMINED to finish before next week kills me again. i hope you enjoy  
•́ ‿ ,•̀

Panic floods Eddie's system when he hears the weak voice cry out for help. Shit. He would know that voice anywhere. In the sea of a thousand people calling his name, there is not a single doubt in his mind that he wouldn't be able to pick which one is Christopher. His son. It's a broken cry for help, and Eddie doesn't even bother explaining himself to the one he's currently in conversation with. He just runs. Towards the sound, towards who knows what. None of it matters right now though. Nothing matters except for getting to Christopher as quickly as he possibly can.

"Christopher!" he shouts out, projecting his voice as far as he can. "Chris?" There's nothing in response for a moment. He slows his pace, not sure which way to continue on. Until he hears it again.

"Buck!" It's hitched, and exhausted, but it's there. Definitely his son.

"Christopher," he calls again, turning slightly left.

"Buck?" Then he spots him, close to an ambulance, finishing up being checked over by a paramedic. From what he can see, there's no visible signs of injuries on the boy's body, but he rushes over and checks closely anyway.

"Christopher, what are you doing here?"

"Daddy?" the boy cries, immediately stretching out his arms towards Eddie, silently asking for a comforting hug. Obliging within the second, Eddie scoops him up into his arms and places a hand on the back of his son's head and wraps his other arm around his waist.

Gently, he buries his face into the neck of Christopher and he allows salty tears to flood from his eyes. It's kind of an analogy to the tsunami. The free flowing salty liquid rushing across the surfaces.

"Are you okay, buddy?" asks Eddie through hooded eyes. He pulls back and places his hands on either side of Christopher's cheeks.

"My Buck..." He doesn't say anything else. He's too tired to form a proper sentence, understandably.

"What's a Buck?" comes a kind of, but not really, familiar voice from behind them. It's the firefighter from before. What was her name again? Lola? No, that's not right. He pushes those thoughts to the back of his mind, not caring about anything else just yet.

"Uh, colleague. My friend." Eddie's reply is simple as he looks up at her face. Short, but to the point. She doesn't really need to know everything, right? And now he's kicking himself for being so rude, even if it is just in his mind.

Turning back to Chris, Eddie speaks softly. "Where is he? Was he with you?"

Christopher nods slowly, and then looks at the ground in thought, trying to pull together more than a few words. "We got separated. But he found me here, and gave me my glasses." He takes a shallow breath as he rushes his voice out of his mouth in an almost unintelligible string of nonsense. Almost. "He saved me. Ambulance took him. I can't go."

"He saved you?" Eddie questions.

"Twice," Chris answers, holding up two of his fingers.

Eddie smiles at that. Of course Buck saved him. That's just the type of person he is. A helper. Not a hero. That would imply he does it so he can be called that. But a helper, a rescuer. It's just in his nature.

But why did he get rushed off in an ambulance? Was he okay? Eddie begs for it not to be another blood clot again.

"Excuse me, hey," Eddie calls over to the paramedic that had just been with Christopher before he came running over. "Is he okay?"

"Aside from being a little bit cold and very tired, he's in perfect health. Not even a scratch or a bruise." The shorter man smiles at Eddie and walks away to help more of the tsunami survivors.

Eddie nearly loses it right there. He nearly crumples to the ground and sobs. In relief that Chris is okay. In fear that Buck is not. In gratitude for Buck keeping Christopher safe the entire time. How he did it without so much as a single mark on the boy is beyond Eddie.

But he has to stay strong. He needs to go find Buck. He needs to get Chris into bed as they cuddle under the blankets for warmth and support.

"Is this Buck why you didn't want to go on a date with me?"

Eddie stands dumbfounded, flabbergasted even. What in the hell kind of query is that? Is he supposed to answer honestly or not? He doesn't even know what the truth is within himself, let alone voicing it out loud to someone who is practically a stranger. Lena! That was her name.

"Um," Eddie mumbles. "I uh-"

"Mhm, I see. Look, that's totally fine. But if you want to take out your frustration about it in the ring, gimme a call." Smiling gently, she moves towards one of the tables with supplies on it. Supplies to assist in the rescue and recovery mission. She grabs a pen and scribbles some writing down on a bit of paper there, before handing it to him. "Or, you know, tell him how you feel."

Gratefully, he takes the paper with her number on it. "It's complicated."

"I'm sure. Good luck."

With that, she's gone. Just as quickly as she'd appeared. Gone.

Shoving the paper into his back pocket, he leans down to pick Christopher up off the ground.

"Let's go find our Buck, hm?"


	2. Chapter 2

On the drive to the hospital in the back of a taxi, Christopher leans his head on his father and falls asleep. Eddie wants sleep too. But he can't. Not yet. Not until he sees Buck and thanks him for everything. Not until he sees that his best friend is okay. Hospitals seem to be become a little bit too familiar within their relationship lately. Buck has gone through so much lately, and all Eddie wanted to do was help him feel a little bit better by getting him out of the apartment.

It is possible that he was too harsh on Buck when he took his son to Buck's place unannounced. It hadn't seemed like he was upset that Chris was there. Nor did it appear that he was annoyed with Eddie using the emergency spare key for a non-emergency. He was definitely frustrated with that fact that Eddie tore the blankets off him and forced him out of bed. Depressed about the entire situation that has been plaguing his entire life for the last six months.

If there was more that Eddie could do, he would have. Getting Buck to hang out with Christopher was a last resort. Nothing else had worked. A few times Eddie would show up with pizza and beers but Buck just stayed wrapped up in bed. Sometimes he would call Buck in the early hours of the evening if he couldn't make it. Not once did he ignore the calls, which Eddie found sweet. But upon the realisation that it was not a call Buck considered important, he sat pretty much silently on the other end of the line. 

There was one night that he couldn't get Carla to take Chris for an hour or two, so he phoned Buck. Not expecting an answer, Eddie was quietly singing to himself in Spanish when he heard a drowsy voice greeting him. They spoke for hours that time. Well, Eddie did. Buck listened intently. If asked to recall what he talked about for that long, he wouldn't be able to say. It was mostly just nonsense, and of course wherever he could, he made sure to avoid the topic of their shared career. He does remember, however, that he'd decided to read aloud to Buck. Usually before Eddie sleeps, he reads a chapter of a book to unwind and relax himself. He wasn't going to give up on that routine any time soon, so he spontaneously decided to include Buck in it. They fell asleep on the line together afterwards. It was the best sleep Eddie had gotten in the longest while.

The trip between the field hospital and their destination doesn't take too long. The whole time Eddie wonders why Buck wasn't being treated where they already were. Were his injuries really so bad that they needed to be treated at a proper functioning hospital? This can not be happening. Eddie can not lose Buck. Not now. Not like this.

"Come on," he whispers to nobody but himself, aiming the plea towards the cab driver. Just go faster. Speed. Weave through the traffic. Do something. Get there faster.

When they finally arrive outside the hospital, Christopher's sleeping form tosses and turns as he calls out Buck's name. "Bucky!"

It's loud, and it startles Eddie. "It's okay, kiddo," he whispers reassuringly, cupping Christopher's face with his hand. With the hand not touching his son, he manages to pull out his wallet and hands over the cash to the driver. "Keep the change."

Eddie steps out of the vehicle and scoops Chris into his arms, carrying him into the building.

* * *

"Eddie?" Buck's voice is raspy, like it's been strained as much as it can before it cracks and breaks. He looks just a fragile as he sounds, and in the span of three seconds Eddie feels thankful that his friend is alive, and then worried that there's something seriously wrong.

Otherwise, why would Buck be here?

"I'm so glad you're okay, buddy," Eddie admits quietly, as to not wake his snoozing son.

"Christopher," Buck starts to say, sitting up too suddenly and he grimaces in pain.

"He's fine, just tired. Don't overwork yourself." He speaks softly, but sternly. Kind of politely telling Buck to calm down.

"Sure he's okay?"

Eddie nods. Chris will be fine, all because of Buck.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I got him caught up in it all." Tears fill Buck's eyes as he averts his gaze, unable to look Eddie in the face.

Moving closer to the bed, Eddie reaches out towards Buck and grabs his hand. They stay like that silently for a moment, basking in each other's company. Their grasp is of decent force, not too lightly held nor is it hard enough to cut circulation.

"Not your fault, so shush. I don't want to hear it." And just like that, Buck huffs out a laugh. Smiling in return, Eddie closes his eyes and soaks the moment in. 

Christopher starts to stir in Eddie's arms again, and whines lowly. He sounds scared. Honestly, Eddie's probably going to be helping Christopher through some nightmares and other trauma related issues for some time to come.

"Buck," he calls in his sleep, making the man in question dart his eyes to Eddie's. "Daddy."

As if reading Eddie's mind, Buck slides over to the other side of the bed, allowing room for the boy to lay at his side. To get Chris down gently and hopefully not wake him, Eddie lets go of Buck's hand, and instantlt misses that connection. Could Lena have been right with her quick albiet in depth observation? No way. Right?

Christopher's body settles as he snuggles up against Buck's side, and Eddie smiles contentedly at the moment before him. Buck uses his right arm to drape over his body and hold Christopher on his left. His left hand seems to be reserved for Eddie's, as he reaches out and takes it again. Like before.

"Are you okay?" Eddie asks.

"I passed out from blood loss. I was bleeding so much, and couldn't tell them I'm on anticoagulants due to being unconscious and all that, so they rushed me here. Got some stitches too, but I'll be released in the next hour or so." The words sit between them, not heavily, but enough to make Eddie want to gasp for air. Mostly out of relief.

The two men hold the kid closely, Eddie also putting his arm over him. Nothing else is said until the doctor comes by to hand over the release paperwork. Christopher settles soon, as if his subconscious knows that he is being held by the two he'd been calling out for. Everything would be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for reading! please enjoy the last chapter.   
and damn, as much as i hate r*nda, please let lena be a good person if we really need to have her on the show.

"Come on," she says through gritted teeth. "Focus!"

Throwing a mean right hook, her gloved fist connects with Eddie's jaw, and he grunts lowly in pain. His mind has been elsewhere the last couple of weeks. Every day he worries about Buck and Christopher, more than he ever used to before the tsunami. Sure, he was a pretty big worry-wart beforehand, but since then he has been so much more concerned. 

Buck comes back to work officially tomorrow, back on proper duties, not a desk job. Soon they would be working side by side again, and he's over the moon about it. But it's plaguing his mind. Still he hadn't told Buck how he feels. 

"Okay, enough. For today, anyways," says Lena. She'd become somewhat of a good martial arts trainer for him, a sparring partner. Not much more than that though. A few times she had bugged him about how things were going with Buck, and he'd been able to ignore it. However, you can only push your feelings aside for so long before they start taking over your every waking thought.

"That hurt," Eddie complains, with a smirk on his face.

"Good," she laughs in response. "Look Eddie, it's been nearly a month, you need to tell him."

Rolling his eyes, he pulls apart the velcro that holds the gloves on his hands, and once he's free, takes a few decent sips of water. "It's complicated, Lena."

"I know, that's all you ever say. But if the tsunami taught me anything, it's that for starters you're more in love with this boy than I was with my ex." She'd never mentioned anything about an ex before, so he looks at her with wide eyes, questioning it, attempting to change the subject.

"Secondly, you nearly lost him, both of them. Say something before it's too late."

"I'm terrified. I'm not even sure if he feels remotely similar about me." Deep down, he knows Buck feels the same way, but surface Eddie refuses to listen to that, only to himself.

"I saw the way he looked at you and hugged you at your birthday party, dude. He's head over heels for you."

* * *

"Buck?" Eddie calls out from the other side of the apartment door. Before he can even knock his knuckles on the wood, Buck's face appears through the opening. It dons a huge contagious smile, and Eddie can't help but be more infatuated with him.

"What's up, bro?" 

Bro. That just goes to prove that surface Eddie was right, doesn't it? Nobody calls someone they like romantically by things like bro or pal. 

Eddie doesn't know where to start. He's been thinking about just blurting out those three little words. At first he'd come up with an entire speech on what he wanted to say. But it was soon tossed aside. For the life of him, now, he can't remember a word of it.

"Eds?" Buck asks, placing a hand on Eddie's shoulder. A comforting gesture. 

"I'm in love with you." It comes out in a rush, the words melding together, becoming one. Plan B it is, then.

"What?" Buck drops his hand, and loses his smile. Oh shit. Surface Eddie was one hundred percent right.

"Um, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here."

As Eddie reaches for the doorknob, he feels a tight grip on his arm, pulling him back towards Buck.

"You're not just saying that, are you? Please don't let this be a sick joke."

Eddie can't move. He just watches Buck intently, soaking every inch of his face into his brain. After this, he probably won't see it again, so he needs to remember it. He can't forget that face.

"Eddie?" whispers Buck's soft voice. Slowly, he raises his hands to Eddie's face and holds his cheeks. "If you're serious, I want you to kiss me. If not, walk away and we can forget this happened."

For emphasis, Buck closes his eyes, but Eddie is still frozen. What should he do? If he kisses the man he loves and that man pulls away and doesn't talk to him again, he doesn't know how he would survive. But running away doesn't feel like an option either.

"I don't want you to do this just for me," Eddie mutters, taking a step forward, and mirroring Buck's stance with his hands. They're holding each other, in a more intimate way than Eddie had imagined. He'd never had this before. Nor had he felt this way. Not even with Shannon.

"I love you too, Eddie."

And with that, Eddie loses all control over himself and presses his lips to Buck's. It starts softly, small pecks shared between them. Doesn't take long for it to become heated though.

Eddie's hands are splayed out all over Buck's back, moving fluidly and grasping at it. In return, Buck trails wet, open-mouthed kisses down his neck, lapping with his tongue when he gets to the top button.

Pushing Buck backwards, Eddie speaks breathlessly. "Bedroom."

It's one word. A demand, almost. At the same time it's a question, an ask of permission. Their hands clasp together as they hastily make their way up the stairs to where Buck's bed rests in the loft.


End file.
